Space Buns, Ice Cream and Wizard Hats
by petals-to-fish
Summary: He's got a spellotaped beard, she's got auburn space buns and the real Albus Dumbledore has a hat trick for both of them. It's Halloween night, 1977, anything could happen. written for the ever lovely and talented WalloptheWicked


Happy Halloween! WallopTheWicked (Tumblr URL so check out that art!) came to me a few months ago with the kindest note that set me to work on this prompt. I can't wait for you guys to see Wallop's interpretation of this fic! It's going to LITERALLY BLOW YOUR MIND. I'm so thankful for this collaboration!

Also, happy birthday to amilahchoux on Tumblr. Ami, you're an absolute angel and I hope you enjoy this fic on your birthday.

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The colors in the common room were blatantly distinct to the normal black attire seen by students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Reds, blues, greens, and yellows meshed together in the room. Girls wore tight dresses with flower crowns in their hair. Boys had on masks and were carrying around fake muggle axes and swords. There were knights playing chess and three princesses were gossiping over exploding snap. A girl was dressed as a phoenix, her mask decorated with bright red plumage. Halloween had officially taken over the Gryffindor Common Room.

It had been Lily and James' idea to throw a costume party after Lily spent one night on rounds explaining the muggle custom to dress up for Hallows Eve to James. He'd been so childlike, so enthusiastic, that Lily could hardly say no to him when he asked if she wanted to plan a costume party. Sitting in the middle of the common room, surrounded by people dressed up in flashy clothes and colorful wigs, Lily felt immersed in her own culture.

She'd missed going to Halloween parties where everyone dressed up as their favorite heroes and villains. Now, all her friends and their friends were dressed up as muggle heroes and wizard villains. Both of her words were colliding vibrantly, and she'd never been happier. Lily had dressed up in a white robe with her hair in two buns, going as Princess Leia from a movie called Star Wars. Most of the muggleborns got Lily's costume, complimenting Lily on her hair.

When she'd given the big reveal of her costume before the party, all her friend James asked was if she was going to the party dressed as Merlin's mother. Lily hit him a little too hard before remembering that he was a pureblood and had no earthly idea what Star Wars meant. Lily was going to make him sit down and watch Star Wars with her over school holidays. Especially since she knew he'd love every bizarre and outrageous minute of it.

James was currently sitting next to Lily on the sofa dressed as their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. All the blokes in his friend group had dressed up like the school's teachers. Sirius was over by the fireplace and costumed as Minerva McGonagall, tall maroon witches' hat and all. Remus was leaning on Sirius' shoulder dressed as Professor Slughorn, a pillow stiffed into his robes to make him look like he had a round gut. Peter was outfitted as Hagrid, using a dust mop as the brown beard. Everyone had adored their costumes and Lily had to agree, the boys had outdone themselves.

She nudged James' knee sticking out of his bright purple robes. James stopped talking to a catlike Alicia Cole, turning his gaze onto Lily with a warm smile. Lily put her face in her hands, her elbows touching her knees as she smiled up at him prettily. James knew her look and he grew wary.

"What?" he asked, looking positively hilarious thanks to the long white beard he'd taped to his chin with spell-o-tape.

"I want ice cream."

"And?" but he was smiling through the hairy beard, already knowing what she was going to suggest.

"Come get some with me." she let her hands fall, only so they could grab his wrists as she stood up and off the sofa, "the party won't miss us."

"Debatable." James said as he followed her motions by standing up, "I'm the life of this party."

Lily jutted a thumb back at Sirius doing Minerva McGonagall impressions by the fireplace, "That'll be your best mate actually."

"He does do a spot-on impression of McGonagall."

Lily couldn't help but laugh as she pulled James through the crowded common room. The portrait hole was dark, and a few couples lingered there, snogging each other's faces off. Lily ignored the kissing couples and kept James on route to the kitchens. There were many flights of stairs to get to her destination, and she wasn't inclined to stop anyone from having a good time.

That would just cut into her time with James.

James and Lily left the common room behind, both of them walking side by side down the hallway like they were on rounds. Lily glinted her eyes at James and had to snicker into her hand. He looked absolutely ridiculous in the white beard because it clashed horribly with his thick dark curls. Not only that, but he was wearing robes that were bright purple with yellow shooting stars patterned all over it.

"How did you manage to find a costume that striking?" she asked him as they descended the staircases, "I mean, purple with shooting stars? Absolutely classic."

James sniggered, "would you believe that I got this at the thrift shop in Hogsmede?"

"I hope you washed it before you wore it." Lily said with a snort, "Merlin only knows who wore that before you found it."

James said, "you're just jealous you don't get to wear a costume as cool as mine."

"I wasn't invited to partake in the group costume plans," Lily shot back, "besides, what's cooler than a space princess?"

"Come on, " James nudged her with his elbow, "are you even slightly jealous that I didn't ask you to join in on the group costume?"

Lily pushed a spare strand of hair back into her rolled hair, "I could've made a wicked Professor Binns."

"You kinda look the part already," James said, motioning to her white dress, "and you're pale as any ghost I've ever seen."

"Thanks," Lily felt red creep up her face, embarrassment seeping through her pores, "I love being reminded I'm practically albino."

"Albino suits you."

Lily shot him a grin, "is that your apology?"

"I meant it," he confided, "you look pretty tonight Evans, space hair and all."

They were silent as they made their way down the first-floor hallway. It was quiet in the normally hectic kitchen by the time James and Lily made it through the portrait hole. House elves were sparse, but one perked up at the sight of students. He was eager to serve and soon, Lily and James both had cones of mint chocolate chip ice cream. They stood outside the portrait hole in the hallway and ate their ice cream, mostly smiling at each other. Lily hadn't managed to confess that her feelings for James extended beyond friendship quite yet, but she almost did as she watched him eat his ice cream.

His beard was almost falling off and he was picking out the little chocolate chips in his ice cream carefully. The flickers of orange light from the torches bounced off his skin, turning him into a mosaic of bronze, black, and honey. His eyes met hers and James smiled a toothy grin that made Lily's stomach split up into thousands of little butterflies.

"I don't think you'd make a good Professor Binns." He said, nudging her boot with his shoe, "you're too pretty to play a ghost."

She flushed bright red and tucked an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit.

They finished their ice cream and made their way back to the common room. James was pulling at Lily's buns, making her laugh out loud as she dodged his poking fingers. They were halfway back to the common room when someone unexpected rounded the corner and made Lily and James halt in their tracks.

His long white beard was glossier than the wig James had fashioned. He wore a red dressing gown, instead of a robe colored purple with shooting stars. There was no sign of spell-o-tape holding his beard to his face either, because the hair connected to his white sideburns. His long white hair was reflecting the orange color of the torchlights as he stood still and examined them through half-moon glasses.

Lily stood next to James, looking back and forth between her friend and their headmaster. Dumbledore was taking in James' costume with consideration, blue eyes calculating the spell-o-taped beard and star-spangled robes. The only thing James was missing was Dumbledore's half-moon glasses, seeing as his own specs were square black frames.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "I must ask—"

Lily bit her lip, looking at the ceiling mirthlessly. She and James were going to get detention and they'd both be sacked from their duties as Head boy and Head girl. They'd get expelled and end up begging for scraps on the street, and all because she'd begged James to get ice cream with her.

"I must ask where on earth you found those lovely robes Mr. Potter."

Professor Dumbledore motioned to James' costume and Lily let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding in. Lily saw James' shoulders physically relax next to her and they both sent each other an anxious snicker before James addressed their Headmaster again. Lily tugged at her buns, feeling self-conscious now that their Headmaster had caught them in costumes other than their school clothes.

"I got 'em from a thrift shop," James admitted to Dumbledore, "in Hogsmede."

"Did you now?" Dumbledore ran his fingers through his beard, "I must say, they look exactly like a pair I own, all you're missing is the hat."

"There's a hat?!"

James virtually jumped into the air at the idea of a matching hat for his costume. Lily bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the thought of Headmaster Dumbledore parading around in purple starry robes with a matching hat. It was even more ridiculous when Lily replaced Dumbledore with James in her musings. James looked as if Christmas had come early. Lily nudged James, reminding him that it was past curfew and they were probably in trouble. Dumbledore spotted her movement and considered her through the dim hall.

"You look lovely Miss Evans," he nodded at her before looking at James again with humor in his eyes, "but I have to say that as far as costumes go, Mr. Potter wins Halloween."

Lily grabbed James' wrist, "We were just heading back to our common room, we were doing rounds. Sorry to have bothered you."

Lily pulled James past Dumbledore and onto the staircases that moved. Dumbledore watched them go, a smile on his face. He waved after them, as if charmed.

James barked down the staircase to Dumbledore, "We ought to coordinate outfits!"

Dumbledore just chuckled and kept walking, disappearing from their sight. Lily exhaled and leaned against the wooden stair bannister in relief. James beamed at Lily like they hadn't almost gotten in massive trouble.

"I can't wait to tell Sirius that Dumbledore said that I win Halloween." He rubbed his hands together next to her, "he'll be so mad."

Lily pulled on his fake beard, "only you would manage to get out of a detention all because you're dressed up as our Headmaster."

"You have to admit," James tossed his fake beard over his shoulder and sashayed his purple robes, "Dumbledore's got style."

Lily laughed and hooked her arm into his, "come on, let's get back before another teacher catches us."

The party ended up lasting until quarter after one, it was then that Professor McGonagall herself barged in and Sirius' impressions were seen in real time. She made everyone clean up the common room and then file off to bed one by one.

Being that the party lasted so late, the next morning, the Gryffindor table looked like it was home to a hoard of zombies. Amelia Smith buttered her pumpkin juice and Eric Smith was still wearing half his knight costume. James was sitting in between Lily and Sirius, sleepily eating his toast. Lily wasn't too tired, she'd knocked out as soon as she hit her sheets, still she was quiet as owls started flying into the Great Hall for mail delivery.

Everyone was so out of it that James actually yelled when a barn owl landed on his plate, sending bacon and eggs flying. Lily picked bits of egg off her robes as James looked around. The owl had a box tied with a red ribbon. Lily prodded James with an elbow, interested.

"Did your mum send you a gift?"

"She didn't say anything in her last letter." James said as the owl took off, a bit of James' leftover toast in its beak, "I wonder what it could be."

Sirius looked over James' shoulder as James took to opening the box. Lily had already turned back to her meal, not assuming anything bizarre from a box addressed to James. It wasn't until Sirius' confused curse and James' burst of laughter that Lily turned back to her friends. James pulled something purple and starry from the box, his face screwed up with laughter. Lily's jaw dropped as she realized it was a matching hat for his starry robes.

"How—" James started and then lily watched as he looked up at the staff table.

Lily looked too and saw Headmaster Dumbledore, waving and winking at James from his chair. Lily's face erupted in a grin and she laughed as James slammed the hat onto his head theatrically. James turned to Lily, a sparkle in his eyes.

"How do I look?" he asked.

With his hair flyway under the hat brim and his hazel eyes warm and inviting, Lily wanted to say she thought he looked fine. Instead, she swiped the hat from him and placed it atop her head.

"I think it looks better on me." she posed vogue style and James chortled.

"You'd look pretty in anything, Evans."


End file.
